4/4/2022 Poetry by Joanell Serra Isaac Bowen CC
the atlas of dolor 1 I’m here for the magic the lines in my palms an atlas that always points south a sage in the form of a man emerges like a vision from the leafy path of saguaros, wild birds and scampering lizards whispers in delicate Spanish you will know pain like never before but you will live 2 on bleak November afternoons I sing a hollow dirge to lost innocence my tongue stained from gnashing summer berries and the marrow of our grief in the country of childhood pioneers roam forbidden nights plant a flag to prove sovereignty my soul escapes through the open windows I dance in a place where bodies lie fallow 3 I know the hoofbeats of time in my own eyes listen to the river mouth sing with the rustling of stones polished by life’s rough waters I am carving my place in this world and a fresh wood canoe to carry ripe mangos old stories and my bones back to you Summer Scribe of Lake Kanawauke, 1977 on the last Saturday morning in June I extricate myself from the house of messy boundaries mother’s swollen joints, dad’s Italian temper a red bandanna marks my backpack on the lumbering journey from the sweltering streets of Hackensack to a rustic camp for young Christian women tucked in the folds of the Catskill mountains on the pebbled shores of a lake with a native name that laps melodic after dark the old cabin planks are warped from the weight of generations of girls and their clammy secrets the screens windows are full of holes moths rest on our pillowcases bats in the rafters at night I climb to the top bunk to write by the light of the moon drunk with passion for my cabin mates and the counselors who play love songs on long-necked guitars I scribble odes to the sound of canoe paddles dipping in unison and grasshopper symphonies across the water my words rise with the illicit cigarette smoke from the counselors’ quarters please, I plead to the man I am told watches from above let this be home JOANELL SERRA is a poet, playwright, novelist and essayist from Northern California, with work published in Eclectica, Blue Lake Review, Black Fox Literary Magazine, Manifest-station, Gold Man Review, Write Launch, 1888, Poydras Review and elsewhere. Books include The Vines We Planted (Wido, 2018) and (Her)oics Anthology, a collection of women's essays about the pandemic (Regal House Publishing, 2021). Her work has won multiple writing contests.
Victoria
4/19/2022 07:42:38 pm
I really loved the piece, Summer Scribe of Lake Kanawauke, 1977. The entire poem matches the strength of the first stanza. Beautiful. Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2024
Categories |